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Arich Soren woke with the worst headache he'd ever experienced. He fought the spasms of pain he felt as he lifted his head to gain a better view of where he was. He knew he was no longer in his seat aboard the Fardreamer, but that was about it. He expected his blurry vision to clarify into a picture of one of those monsters he'd allowed in his ship. To his pleasant surprise, he saw a Delvian instead. More to the point, it was a Delvian he knew and could trust. He slipped back into unconsciousness with a content smile on his face.

Arns later, he was up and about. Zhaan had declared him fit. Katryn was still sleeping off the exhaustion that was a result of the neuro-venom the creature had inflicted upon them. Arich sat by her bedside until she awoke.

"Hi there." She said in a ragged voice.

"Hello yourself." He replied with a relieved smile.

"I take it we're not dead?" she asked with wry humour.

"No, we're not." He confirmed.

"That explains why I hurt so bad." She groaned. He put a hand on her forehead, "You still have a bit of a fever. I wouldn't try moving."

"Wasn't going to." She admitted, then gave him a worried look, "What about a meal?"

"Are you hungry?"

She shook her head, "You said we're alive, but what about a meal? Are we going to be someone's snack?"

He broke into a grin, "No. We're safe aboard the Leviathan ship, Moya. You remember her an her crew?" Katryn nodded then gave him a wan smile, "Be careful. I wouldn't put it past the Hynerian to try and eat us anyway."

Arich chuckled as he kissed her on the forehead, "Just get some rest. I'll make sure no one eats us."

"Good." she murmured as she drifted back off to sleep.

*****

Soren met the rest of the crew in the mess. Crichton was shocked at the haggard condition the Intelligence officer was in. Soren's fair skin was utterly colourless, giving him the appearance of a walking corpse. His stiff movements did nothing to allay that impression.

He sat down at the common table and levelly met the eyes of the crew. They were all in attendance, even Rygel. Pilot was present via the comm panel. DRDs were monitoring Katryn's condition and would alert Pilot of any changes.

"Glad to see you up and about." Aeryn told him.

"Thank you, Officer Sun." Soren replied. Aeryn hadn't trusted the Peritans during their first encounter with them. She had also disapproved of their deviation form Peacekeeper doctrine. Her attempts at kindness, if not quite reconciliation, were obviously appreciated.

"What happened to your craft?" D'Argo asked, by-passing the pleasantries, "What are those creatures?"

"D'Argo!" Crichton hissed.

"It's all right." Soren assured him, raising a hand to ward off Crichton's objections, "I understand."

"When last saw us, we were trying to integrate our former enemies, the Aquatarians, into our society." He paused and saw the nods of remembrance, "What you couldn't know is that all of them died days after your departure."

"How?" Zhaan asked.

"The deterioration of the nervous system due to a mysterious neuro-toxin. None of them would reveal what had happened to them. They were too frightened to re-visit the experience. We were able to extract the circumstances with records from their last ship's logs."

"Before the solar flares destroyed their cities, they were visited by a mysterious species. This species offered to destroy their enemies, us, in exchange for abandoning our world. The Aquatarian leadership refused, desiring our world for themselves. These mysterious aliens returned and attacked. The solar flares were a result of an Aquatarian fail-safe weapon."

Stunned silence filled the mess, broken finally by Crichton, "You're saying they destroyed their own world?"

Soren nodded grimly, "Exactly. The refugees we found were aboard a medical evacuation shuttle. They'd been wounded in the attacks and evacuated off the planet as it was being overrun. No one knew how deadly the poison was."

"Why didn't they inform you of this?" Aeryn asked angrily.

Soren shrugged, "They must have felt we would accuse them of trying to form an alliance to destroy us and we'd kill them."

"I would in their place." Rygel mumbled.

"Stow it, Beeker." Crichton warned.

"What happened then?" Aeryn asked, trying to steer the conversation back to business.

Soren sighed and his shoulders slumped, "We decided to try and make contact with the Swarm ourselves."

"The Swarm?" Zhaan asked.

"That's the appellation they apply to themselves." He explained.

"So they can communicate with us?"

He nodded, face grim, "When they want to. Generally that's only when they have demands to make."

"I take it you've made contact." Aeryn commented dryly.

"You saw the results." He replied bitterly, "We went to them to talk and they attacked and boarded us."

"How many attacked you?" D'Argo asked.

"Dozens, although the boarding party consisted of the single delightful fellow you've already met." Soren's face hardened and his posture firmed, "I need to contact my people."

"I'm certain we can arrange something in a few arns." Zhaan assured him, "Right now you need to..."

"I need to contact my government." Soren snapped,

"That...drone boasted of his species' plans to invade our system. I need to warn them."

"Certainly." Aeryn assured him.

"You also need to set course away from here." Soren warned, "Their invasion fleet is set to come through here en route to my world. They were going to pick up the one that boarded our ship. Making a meal of us was its reward for meritous service."

"Pilot!" Aeryn snapped.

"I heard." Pilot replied calmly, "I am setting course for Perit."

*****

Katryn was still sleeping soundly. Soren touched her cheek gently. She murmured softly in her sleep. He had no idea what kind of nightmares still plagued her. He'd lived through his own and didn't wish them upon anyone else.

Constructing an emotional dam around his concern and his own remnant of pain, he stood and left the quarters granted her. He headed back to the mess, where he knew their benefactors were still "discussing" the level of aid to grant his people. He knew there was little they could truly do or offer. As he neared the mess, he could hear their cascading voices.

"I don't care, Aeryn!" Crichton declared hotly, "These people helped us. We owe them the same."

"We don't owe them our deaths." She retorted with equal passion, "We will take them home. I'll even give them some pulse rifles and the plans for bombs and heavy weaponry. I will not stay to fight for them."

"No one has asked you to." Soren reminded her from the doorway.

"You don't need to." Crichton said giving Aeryn a searing glance, "It would be our pleasure."

"It would be your pleasure." D'Argo said dryly.

"Hear, hear," Rygel added in support.

D'Argo flashed him a dark look, "If I need your support, Hynerian, I'll inform you."

"I don't believe this." Crichton declared, then pointed at Aeryn, "I really don't believe you."

"Why?" she asked, "It's tactical suicide. My prowler and a few small arms will not make a significant difference in this campaign."

"That's not the damn point!"

"Yes, it is!" Aeryn shouted back, "That's exactly the point. You're just to frelling dense to realise it."

"Fine." Crichton conceded in disgust. He stalked out of the room. Aeryn muttered various epitaphs under her breath as she left, turning the opposite direction in the corridor. Soren gave Zhaan a wry look.

"I see things are still the same."

His face twisted into a rueful grimace, "I think its time you had a talk with Crichton and for me to discuss a matter to two with Officer Sun."

"Do you honestly believe it will help?"

"It certainly can't make things any worse." Zhaan shrugged, "You have a valid point."

*****

Zhaan caught up with Crichton in John's quarters. He sat on his bed, back leaned up against the bulkhead wall, legs draped over the mattress. He was staring at a small, thin rectangular object. Zhaan cleared her throat and Crichton glanced up with some embarrassment.

"Sorry." He stammered, "I didn't see you there."

Zhaan waved his apologies aside, "You are obviously troubled. I thought I might help you gain some clarity."

"Good luck." John snorted. "Every time I think I'm..." he banged his head off the wall, "Forget it."

Zhaan sat down in a chair near the entrance to his quarters. She gave him a reassuring smile, "We all have difficulties at times, John. Part of what defines us is how we cope."

"We shouldn't abandon them, Zhaan." Crichton said angrily, "They helped us. This isn't right."

Zhaan pondered his words, then replied softly, "If we truly had any worthwhile assistance to offer, I would endorse your plan. We do not. There is no point in offering what we do not possess."

"I thought that's what priests were all about." John grumbled sourly.

Zhaan ignored the slight, "No. Priests are there to assist those that seek direction."

Her eyes narrowed, "Why does this issue plague you so?"

Crichton started to become livid again, then relaxed with a loud sigh, "I know we really can't do much. Something is better than nothing, no matter how small."

"We have done something." Zhaan corrected him, "We've rescued Soren and Qek from certain death. We've allowed them the opportunity to contact their people and rally a defence. We are taking them home so they can participate in that defence alongside their loved ones. Those are the most precious gifts of all, and we have been the instruments by which they have been delivered. You should seek comfort in that."

"I know it Zhaan, really." He assured her, "I guess I just expected...I dunno what I expected." His words were laced with bitterness.

"You expected an ally." Zhaan filled in the blank.

"Yeah." He agreed.

"You especially expected Aeryn to support you, not fight you at every turn. Her resistance to your proposal feels like a betrayal."

"That's not it." Crichton protested with rousing passion, "She argues with me over everything. I'm used to it. I just thought that she'd..."

"Agree with you on this at least." Zhaan supplied again, "Especially given her relation to the Peritans."

"Yeah." He conceded softly.

"You should tell her, John." Zhaan urged.

"That I think she's slightly cold-hearted for abandoning her relatives?"

"That you love her."

John froze. Zhaan had seen people with the same dull expression after they had received a physical blow. The rising colour in Crichton's cheeks did give him the appearance of having been slapped. His jaw began working, but no sounds were uttering forth yet.

"What...did...you...say?" he stammered.

Zhaan wondered if Crichton appreciated the irony of his using those words again, "You love her John. You should tell her so."

"Now, hold on." Crichton protested with rising panic in his voice, "I never said I... well, I've never even alluded to..."

"John, it's painfully obvious." Zhaan said in exasperation, "It's exceptionally painful for the rest of us. We have to deal with the side-effects on a daily basis."

"Don't worry." He said assured her, "Nothing's going to..."

"Then it will be your loss." Zhaan declared hotly, "And you will have to live with the consequences alone. You will receive no succour from the rest of us."

Her gaze grew in intensity, "At least be honest with me. I've shared my consciousness with yours, remember? I know how you feel, how you see the rest of us. Admit it to yourself if too no other."

Crichton was still shaken, but thinking. He stood and began pacing the room. He started to speak several times, but stopped each time. Zhaan waited patiently. He finally sunk to the floor, back to the wall.

"I don't know what I feel or think any more, Zhaan."

"Such admissions are the first step towards wisdom." Crichton began laughing, "What's so humorous, John?" Her voice was slightly agitated.

"A guy from my world said something similar. His name was Socrates. I think you Delvians would've liked him."

"Are his thoughts recorded?"

"In a manner of speaking."

"Then we may still 'like' him." She shrugged, "Or at least one of us."

*****

Soren found Aeryn in the cargo bay she'd converted into a workout mat. He approached quietly as he watched her practice her disciplines. He was impressed. She was definitely in peak physical condition.

"What are you doing here?" she asked abruptly.

"I need to talk to you."

"About what?"

"The situation."

She folded her arms across her chest, "You know the tactical reality. WE have nothing to contribute." He shook his head sadly, "I know that. That's not the situation I'm here to discuss."

She looked puzzled, "You're not? Then why are you here?"

"To discuss you and Crichton." Soren doubted her could have shaken her that badly if he'd physically struck her. I wonder of Zhaan is getting a similar reaction?

"You're attracted to him." He said simply, "You may even love him."

"Preposterous." She said defensively.

"Then why do you disagree with everything he says, regardless of your true feelings of agreement or disagreement?"

"You barely know us." Aeryn replied angrily, "You can't know if that's the way we react."

"Yes, I can" he assured her, "It's my job to know such things." He shrugged, "Your behaviour is classic. He fascinates you, and terrifies you at the same time."

"Of course he terrifies me, he's a primitive that would get himself killed if it weren't for the rest of us." Aeryn retorted.

"That's not it." Soren chided, "He may be smarter than the lot of you. He's willing to explore options the rest of you can't fathom. Options like the one you're considering regarding him."

"What option?"

"Of mating with him." Soren stated, "Not once, but for life."

Soren could see the truth of it in her eyes, as well as her fear, "No, I haven't. Never, I couldn't. He's not Sabbacean. He'd never be able to live in my culture."

"He doesn't have to."

"Well, I'm certainly not going to live as a human."

"You don't have to." Seeing Aeryn's obvious confusion, he continued, "Neither of you has to live like the other's culture demands. You're not in either culture. Live as yourselves. You are already living together, you may as well enjoy that life."

"No." she said firmly, but with far less resolve than her earlier protestations, "We'll find his home someday. He'll want to return. I don't think I can live among them."

"Do you honestly think he can return home?" Soren asked levelly, "Does he?"

Aeryn swallowed hard, "No."

"Then what you have left is each other...and the unknown."

"The unknown?"

"It's what you fear, Officer Sun. It is also what entices you now that you are away from the familiar. That passion for exploration drives Crichton as well. It is part of the dynamic you share."

"He hates me."

"No, he does not." Soren replied, "That is obvious even to a virtual stranger."

Aeryn was about to reply when D'Argo's voice rang across Moya's tiers, "Everyone assemble in Control. We have company."

*****

Soren and Aeryn entered Control to find John and Zhaan already there. Aeryn and Crichton exchanged a fleeting glance. Zhaan shrugged in Soren's direction. He replied in kind.

"Look who I found." Chiana announced happily as she entered. Katryn followed her. She was still pale and worn, but obviously recovering. Soren could see her disapproval regarding his condition in her eyes.

"I thought you were going to rest?" she asked accusingly.

He gave her a contrite grin, "I got distracted."

"What are they?" D'Argo asked, pointing at the display. Dozens of small, tubular ships were coming for them. They appeared made out of a gelatinous substance. Their shape shifted and flowed. Colour fluctuations rippled through the writhing hulls.

"That's the Swarm." Soren answered bleakly.

"How soon until they catch us?" Zhaan asked.

"A quarter arn." Pilot answered grimly.

"They'll try to board us rather than destroy us." Soren informed them, "That way they can eat us instead."

"I never thought I'd meet a species I despise more than the Peacekeepers." D'Argo grunted.

"Appearances aside, they're amazingly similar in style and motive to the Peacekeepers." Soren replied with bitter irony, "They're a militant collection parasites that sells its services in order to devour the life of other species."

"Well phrased." Rygel commended.

Soren shook his head, "No. A well-spent phrase describes something noble, such as art or beauty. A description of atrocity is a crime against the language employed."

"You're a poet." Zhaan commented.

"I just think too much." Soren replied, "We should gather arms and try to mount a defence." D'Argo grinned. Aeryn nodded. Katryn, though still troubled by lingering symptoms, voiced her consent. Crichton agreed as well.

"Do we stand a chance?" Rygel asked nervously.

"Perhaps not." D'Argo said fiercely, "But they'll know we were here."

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